WWGD said:
As I understand, population density in most of the US makes it hard to break into the black. That's outside of a few regions like the NE corridor.
Population density and utilization are important factors. In the case of the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak, more or less owns, or at least controls the track. Outside of the NEC, particularly for inter-city trains, Amtrak leases access to the rails. Amtrak, of course, took over the rail passenger service from the railroads that traditionally provided the service, as it became unprofitable. City and regional organizations took over much of the commuter rail service, and for some regions, states and local governments subsidize Amtrak.
Part of the revenue from passenger service came from shipping mail, which subsequently went to trucks and airlines, and the loss of mail revenue made most passenger trains unprofitable.
The challenge is how to make Amtrak profitable, and that is quite a challenge.
I have used Amtrak to travel to Washington DC, then use the DC Metro to get around. I found it more or less affordable, since I don't need to drive or fly, and even flying requires driving to the airport, waiting, then flying. From Washington DC airports, Washington National (Reagan) or Dulles, one can ride a DC Metro train. For me by myself, it is practical to take the train (Amtrak), but with multiple people, it's perhaps more practical to drive, depending on where in DC, and now long, and how many others.